It's time for the World Cup semifinals. European titans France and Spain meet today in Dallas for a berth in the title match. Follow below for live updates.
Pregame notes
Starting XIs
France (4-2-3-1) 🇫🇷
Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Olise, Dembele, Barcola; Mbappe
Spain (4-1-2-3) 🇪🇸
Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri; Ruiz, Olmo; Yamal, Oyarzabal, Baena
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has opted for the same lineup that started his team's quarterfinal win over Belgium, with Barcelona star Pedri once again finding himself on the bench in favor of Fabian Ruiz. It's a big call, but the PSG midfielder did score in the last round. Can he find the net again?
Not to be outdone, Didier Deschamps has made two changes from his quarterfinal XI. Aurelien Tchouameni is fit again and regains his place in central midfield, relegating Manu Kone to the bench, while the rotation on the left wing continues between Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue. It's the former who gets the nod this time around, with the latter almost certain to see some action as a second-half substitute.
Kylian Mbappe starts for France - as expected - after overcoming a "slight" ankle issue suffered against Morocco. Mbappe is currently tied with Lionel Messi on eight goals apiece in the tournament, and can grab the outright lead in the Golden Boot race if he finds the net against Spain's resolute defense.
Something's gotta give
France and Spain are widely regarded as the two best teams remaining in the World Cup. Spanish bench boss Luis de la Fuente has even dubbed the semifinal contest a "final before the final." It's not hard to see why.
Neither team has trailed so far at this summer's competition.
France, looking to reach its third consecutive World Cup final, has outscored its opposition 16-2, with Mbappe leading a dazzling array of attacking talent that has thus far proven unstoppable. Spain, meanwhile, has conceded just one goal - the fewest in the tournament - and was riding a 650-minute World Cup shutout streak before Belgium found the net in the quarterfinals.
It's a classic "unstoppable force meets immovable object" situation.
11 - Tonight will be the 11th time Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé have been on opposite sides in a match for club and country - Yamal has won eight of those 10 games.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 14, 2026
Showdown. pic.twitter.com/iXUtRzD2e4
France could become just the second European nation, after West Germany, to compete in three successive World Cup finals with a win, while Spain is trying to reach only its second-ever men's World Cup final.
Despite their various spells spent dominating world and European football, the matchup itself is exceedingly rare on the World Cup stage. The two behemoths have only ever met once before in the tournament, with Zinedine Zidane helping France claim a 3-1 victory in the round of 16 in 2006.
Yamal's time to shine?
Spain superstar Lamine Yamal hasn't been at his irrepressible best this summer. The teenager, who suffered a serious hamstring injury in mid-April that threatened to rule him out of the tournament entirely, recovered just in time for the World Cup, but he's clearly not fully fit.
Yamal has just one goal in the competition so far, showing only brief flashes of the brilliance we've come to expect from the Barcelona sensation.
But he now has the perfect opportunity to deliver a defining World Cup performance and, in the process, back up his pregame proclamation that France should "fear" Spain.
Yamal has priors against the French, too. The right-winger, who celebrated his 19th birthday Monday, will be looking to replicate the sensational goal he scored versus Les Bleus in Spain's 2-1 semifinal victory at Euro 2024.
This summer's World Cup has been headlined by the sport's biggest stars shining on the grandest stage - including France captain Mbappe. Yamal hasn't yet had his moment to match. Now's the time.
How to watch
United States 🇺🇸
English: Fox, FS1, and the Fox One app
Spanish: Telemundo and Universo
Canada 🇨🇦
English: TSN (1/3/4/5), CTV, and Crave
French: RDS
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